Jesus’ journey, from His temptation in the desert to His death on the Cross, began and ended alone. Surprising, when you consider how He ministered to so many people in between.

Luke tells us in his Gospel that at one time, a “crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another,” to get to Jesus, and yet He “began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard…'”. (12:1)

Jesus came for all people, but He knew and related to them each personally.

“Someone touched me,” He said another time, as “the crowds almost crushed him.” I imagine everyone stared in stunned silence as Jesus stopped to reassure the woman, who had reached out desperately for His cloak, saying “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” (8:40-48)

Jesus knew all about people, knew them individually and intimately, and He cared for them that way. Would we really expect anything less from a God who took on our flesh and washed people’s feet? But it surprises us again and again, and leaves us speechless.

And sometimes we forget it.

At Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples, after all that He had taught them and even as He was serving them His body and blood in the bread and the wine, the men dissolved into an argument about which of them was considered to be the greatest. (22:24)

“You are those who have stood by me in my trials,” He reminded them. “And I confer on you a kingdom…”. (22:28) They may have lost sight of Jesus, but His vision of them never wavered.

Jesus, suffering servant Savior that He was, saw it all coming: how the same crowds that shouted “Hosanna!” would soon shout “Crucify!”, and how his disciples would sleep through His time of greatest need and then flee from the scene of His arrest, and how Simon Peter would deny even knowing Him – three times – after professing his undying devotion just hours before.

Our Risen Lord sees all of the ways that you and I will lose sight of Him too, in the crush of life, and this comforts us in Lent as we gaze intently upon His body, broken for our sin, on the Cross.

Jesus prayed for Peter on their last night together (22:32). And the Gospel of John records how He prayed for the disciples (17:6-19) – and for us! – that night too (17:20-26). Jesus saw it all coming, how they (and we) would go on to build The Church, the Kingdom of God on earth. And He has promised to walk faithfully with us in it all, forgiving and healing us, guiding and strengthening us, by the power of His Spirit, along the way.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…,” He said, before He ascended into heaven. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Imagine that you are Peter, disciple of Jesus Christ, out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with the other disciples. You are out at night, in a storm. You are out there because Jesus sent you to go on ahead…without Him. (Matthew 14:22-33)

He said that He would follow, and you try to remind yourself of this as the wind picks up.

But soon the boat is “a considerable distance from land” and is increasingly being “buffeted by the waves” (vs. 24). You begin to wonder how Jesus will even find you. Your short term memory of how He miraculously fed 5,000+ people earlier that day is drowned in the immediate and tangible crisis, and your rising doubts and fear.

What thougths might be going through your mind?

‘Where is He? Doesn’t Jesus know or care about what is happening to us? I thought He came to make things right! This isn’t what I expected. This isn’t what I had hoped for. Why did He call us to follow Him just to send us out here by ourselves? We’re not strong enough for this! This will surely destroy us! Has He forgotten us? Has He abandoned us? Is He really who He says He is?’

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Dan helped us to see that when Jesus came out walking on the water to the disciples in the boat that night, He showed them that He is God and reigns over all of creation. Jesus reassured the men that He was with them, even in the storm.

“Take courage,” He said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (vs. 27)

I used to think that Peter was a hero when he got out of the boat and walked on the water with Jesus, even if he did sink when he took his eyes off of The Lord to look around at the wind and the waves. But as Pastor Dan also pointed out in his sermon, Peter was only out there on the water because he doubted.

“Lord, if it’s you…” he had said (vs. 28). We must not overlook that “if”. Two miracles in one day, and still Peter needed reassurance.

Our most powerful confessions of faith in Jesus often come precisely after those times of trial and testing – those storms – that would cause us to question not just “where are you Lord?” but “who are you Lord?”. After Jesus stepped into the boat and calmed the storm, the disciples worshipped Him, confessing “Truly you are the Son of God.” (vs. 32)

Peter learned to ‘stay in the boat’ during the many ‘storms’ that followed. When Jesus claimed to be “the living bread”, many of His disciples were shocked and dismayed, and they deserted Him (John 6:41-71). How could they have understood what Jesus meant when He said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…”? (vs. 54) At the time it sounded outrageous, and Jesus wasn’t explaining – yet. This called for great trust. It called for faith, that Jesus was who He said He was, even when nothing made sense and everything seemed to be unraveling. It called for sitting tight in the boat! It called for a confession of faith.

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (vs. 68-9) Surely Peter’s confession strengthened his own heart and the hearts of those disciples who remained. Surely Peter’s confession came from a heart strengthened by his Lord, who had walked with him, who had walked on water for him!

It was Jesus’ “words of eternal life” that created such faith in Peter, making him strong and steady, able to use his own words to confess Jesus as “the Holy One of God”.

The faith that saves comes from God.

Jesus said that “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent”. (John 6:29) That means we stay in the boat and ride out the storms, confessing our Lord’s power to save. We tell others about Him, speaking The Word, so that they too may have this saving faith.

I want to sail out onto the Sea of Galilee in Simon Peter’s boat, and see for myself how it all began. (Luke 5:1-11)

He had fished all night but had caught not one. So much work, and nothing to show for it.

What were Simon Peter’s thoughts, out on the water that night? Was he feeling like his life was going nowhere?

‘Is there anything more to life than fish?’

I wonder.

The long-awaited Savior of the World was about to step into Simon’s boat, that very same day. Great voyages can have humble beginnings.

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch,” (Luke 5:4) Jesus instructed Simon.

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets,” (Luke 5:5) Peter replied.

Here we have the essence of faith, which says, ‘Jesus, I don’t see how it’s going to work, but because you say so…’ And because Simon Peter acted in faith, the nets filled with fish so that they began to break.

There is something more to life than fish! There is faith, and a calling.

“Do not be afraid,” Jesus reassured Peter, “from now on you will catch men.” (Luke 5:10)

Now we musn’t for a moment think that as soon as Jesus stepped into Peter’s life everything made sense and all was smooth sailing.

Moments after the miraculous catch, Peter begged Jesus to leave him (Luke 5:8). Peter made mistakes. He tried to take the helm (Matthew 16:21-23), he spoke when he was supposed to listen (Matthew 17:1-6), and he even denied ever knowing his dear friend and Savior – three times (Matthew 26:69-75)!

There were storms (Matthew 8:23-27).

In many ways, life with Jesus in the boat would be ‘more of the same’ for Peter: not fully understanding, but called to follow along anyway (John 13:7). Yet in faith and by faith he persevered, even when the teachings grew hard (John 6:53) and the followers few (John 6:64-66).

In faith, Peter walked on water with Jesus, on that very same Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25-29)! He confessed Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 16:16). By the power of The Holy Spirit, Peter helped to build The Church: he spoke the good news of God’s grace in a foreign language without ever learning that tongue (Acts 2:4); he spoke boldly about Jesus before crowds (Acts 2:14-41) and before religious leaders (Acts 4:5-20). He even healed a man in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:1-10). Peter had visions, and went to places he never dreamed he would go, to meet people he never expected to meet (Acts 10).

A great voyage indeed! And it all started the moment Jesus stepped into Peter’s boat, and Peter sailed out in faith.